Land Fraud: Five Chargesheeted in J&K, Including Two Senior Revenue Officials

In a significant move against administrative corruption, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet against five individuals, including high-ranking revenue officials, for their involvement in a land fraud scheme in Srinagar.

Key Details of the Chargesheet

The chargesheet was presented before the Court of Special Judge (Anti-Corruption) in Srinagar. The accused face multiple charges under the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, including:

Section 420: Cheating
Section 467, 468, 471: Forgery and use of forged documents
Section 120-B: Criminal conspiracy
Section 5(2): Misconduct by public servants

The Accused

The investigation names five primary individuals involved in the conspiracy:

Nusrat Aziz: Former Tehsildar.
Shahbaz Bodha: Former Tehsildar (currently serving as Assistant Commissioner Revenue, Pulwama).
Two Patwaris: Subordinate revenue officials.
Riyaz Ahmad Bhat: A land broker and the primary seller.

The Fraudulent Scheme

According to the Crime Branch, the case originated from a complaint regarding land at Balhama, Srinagar. The investigation revealed a sophisticated “double-sale” scam:

The Initial Sale: The complainants purchased approximately 16,550 sq. ft. of land from Riyaz Ahmad Bhat. The transaction was finalized through registered sale deeds, and ownership (mutations) was officially recorded.
The Manipulation: Investigators found that the accused revenue officials conspired with Bhat to fraudulently cancel the complainants’ valid ownership records.
The Illegal Resale: By dishonestly restoring ownership rights to the seller, the officials enabled Bhat to sell the same plots of land to new buyers, resulting in significant financial loss for the original owners.
Backdating Records: Evidence further established that the original land transfers to Bhat were processed using predated documents, signed by officials who were not even stationed in that jurisdiction at the time the documents were allegedly issued.